Harry Potter and the Mark of Taliesin
by Paean
Summary: This story is horrible. Don't read it. It's only here because I couldn't figure out how to delete it. :


Feb 3. 2003  
  
Harry Potter was no ordinary boy. Unless, of course, you think normal boys make things levitate and can turn frogs into water goblets. Harry was a wizard. He attended a famous wizarding academy called Hogwarts Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There he was taught magic with his two best friends, Ron and Hermione. He had lived at home with his aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley, ever since he was one year old. The most evil and powerful wizard in the world, Voldemort, killed his parents when Harry was only a toddler. Last year, his godfather, Sirius Black had been killed during a battle with this wizard, and Harry had immediately reacted with anger and confusion. But this had long since dissipated and had been replaced with a feeling of total apathy. Harry no longer cared what happened. The only things keeping him from jumping into oncoming traffic were his friends. If not for Ron and Hermione he would have given up completely. He received their letters regularly, but they had little to report that interested him. On this particular day, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were taking Dudley, Harry's cousin to replace his Playstation 2. He had thrown it across the room when it froze in the middle of his favorite game. Harry was to be dropped off at their neighbor, Mrs. Figg's house. Harry stepped out of the house and into the sunlight, taking in his first taste of freedom since Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had grounded him. The year before, he had left the Dursleys' home with several members of the Order of the Phoenix. The Order is an organization that was formed for the sole purpose of removing Voldemort from power. His aunt and uncle were less than happy when they found out that a large group of wizards had broken into their house and taken their nephew. They were just climbing into the car, when a girl about Harry's age came out of the house next door. Harry had seen his share of bizarre things since his introduction to the wizarding world, but this girl was the weirdest thing he had ever set eyes on. She had bright red hair with black streaks, about ten necklaces and a nose ring. She wore a long black skirt and a blue shirt with the word "perfect" scrawled across it in pink paint. A pair of red combat boots topped off the outfit. The Dursleys noticed the girl, too. Aunt Petunia shoved Dudley into the back seat of the car as if to protect him from any contagious diseases the girl might carry. "Hello, Mr. Dursley," the girl greeted him, "Mrs. Dursley. How are you both?" "Well, I was fine," Uncle Vernon hissed, "but all of a sudden I feel a bit nauseated." The girl ignored the insult, " I don't believe we've been introduced." She looked at Harry and smiled. "My name's Moriggu, but you can call me Kate for short." "Get in the car, Harry!" Uncle Vernon shouted, "Now!" "I was just wondering if Harry would like to come with my grandmother and I to an art show," Kate said. "No thank you!" Vernon quickly answered, "Can we please go?!" "I just thought it would save you the trip to Mrs. Figg's house, but I guess he wouldn't like to go anyways," she said. Uncle Vernon started to climb into the driver's seat, but stopped as she spoke. He thought about whether or not it would be worth it to let him go as Harry held his breath. Anything would be better than having to sit through another round of pictures and boring stories about Mrs. Figg's 'precious' cats. "Fine," Vernon sighed, "Go, boy. And don't do anything stupid. I don't want to have to pay for anything you break." Harry nearly leaped out of the backseat of the car, but he tried to contain his joy. If Uncle Vernon knew that he might actually enjoy himself, he would never have permitted him to go.  
The Dursleys left and Harry followed Kate inside. They sat down on the couch in the Victorian style living room. Harry wondered when Kate had moved in. He hadn't noticed any moving vans next door. He asked Kate about this.  
"The Andrews have lived here for awhile. They adopted me about a month ago," she explained, "They wanted to adopt an older kid because they don't know anything about raising small children. I was surprised that they were okay with the way I dress, because of what people would think." "People like my aunt and uncle," Harry commented. "Right, but they didn't care. The part they were really freaked out about was-" Kate cut herself off. "About what?" Harry asked. "Well, let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Hogwarts?" Kate asked. "Oh, I get it, you're a witch," he said. "I didn't want to come out and say it, because my parents are totally freaking out about me telling anyone. They met with this guy named Fudge and he told them to not let any Muggles know that I'm a witch. It seems like they're guarding this secret with their lives." Harry had met Cornelius Fudge, with the Ministry of Magic. He wondered why Fudge, a very busy and important man, would take time to meet with only one of thousands of Muggle parents of witches and wizards. He didn't say anything, though because he figured that it wasn't any of his business.  
After talking with Kate for a few minutes he realized that she had an American accent. He hadn't noticed it before because of all the excitement and her appearance. He noticed a few other things about Kate that he had overlooked. Her eyes, for instance were a brilliant green that shone brighter than anyone's he had ever seen before. She had a small tattoo of a Celtic symbol below her right ear. Harry asked her about it. "I've had it as long as I can remember," Kate explained, "The nuns at the Catholic orphanage back in America said I was left on the steps and I already had it." A strange sense of deja vu crept into Harry's mind. When he had come to live with the Dursleys, he too had been left at the steps in front of the house. He wondered if she had known as little as he did when he was told he was a wizard. "Was it a big shock to you when you found out you were a witch?" he asked. "As strange as it seems, I sort of knew all along," she replied, "I always thought that magic was possible. In fact I practice Wicca, but that's more of a religion than the magic they teach us in school. You can imagine the nuns' reaction when I had a pentagram tattooed on my back. Mother Superior fainted! Oh, and don't worry, Wicca has nothing to do with the Devil, so I won't set any demons loose on you." "That's a relief!" Harry joked. They talked for a while longer and Harry soon heard the Dursley's car pull into the driveway next door. "Oh, what about the art show?" Harry asked, remembering what had happened earlier. "There wasn't one," Kate's lips curled into a mischievous smile, "My grandmother passed away before I was even adopted." "Well, I guess I'll have to go then," Harry sighed. "Okay, but when they ask you if you enjoyed yourself, tell them that I was rude and my grandmother smelled. They'll send you here every time they want to get rid of you."  
  
Harry was anxious to go back Hogwarts. He was not having a very good time the past week. Dudley was playing his new favorite game, which he dubbed "See How Long Harry Can Live With His Head In The Toilet," and Harry had accidentally set Dudley's pants on fire. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon grounded him for two weeks and took away his textbooks so that he had nothing to read. He spent most of his days either looking out the cracks in the boards Uncle Vernon had put across the window or playing with Hedwig. Harry also slept more than he used to. He kept having the same disturbing dream. It started out normal enough. Harry was at school, on his way to Herbology. Just as he was crossing the school grounds to get to the greenhouse, the sky started to cloud up. By the time he reached the door to the greenhouse, the sky had become completely overcast. Harry grabbed the doorknob and tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. He felt a prickle of fear run down his spine. Harry ran as fast as he could towards the castle. He found, to his surprise, that the door was open and ran inside. Something invisible chased him all through the corridors and, unfortunately, he didn't look where he was going. Harry kept running until he reached a dead- end. He turned slowly around and found his archenemy, Lord Voldemort, standing before him. Suddenly, Kate jumped out of the shadows and threw herself in front of Harry. "If you want him you'll have to go through me," she said. Voldemort lowered his wand and thought it over for a moment. "You are of no ussssssssse to me know," he hissed, "And you abandoned me fifteen yearsssssssss ago. There isssss no turning back now." Voldemort yelled, "Avada Kedavra!" and Kate fell to the ground in a cloud of green light. He looked at her limp body for a moment, and then advanced on Harry. He woke up just as Voldemort was about to kill him, leaving Harry to ponder the meaning of his bizarre dream.  
  
The next time Harry saw Kate, it was Dudley's birthday. As usual, the Dursley's were dumping Harry off at a neighbor's house. Harry had taken Kate's advice and complained about her and her 'grandmother.' Uncle Vernon saw Harry to the door. "Have a nice day, Harry," he said with a smirk. Harry could tell that that Uncle Vernon thought he was smarter than him, and he was enjoying every second of it. Harry tried to contain his laughter, but by the time he reached Kate's door, Uncle Vernon was inside and he couldn't help it any longer. He burst into fits of giggles. Kate opened the door and asked him what was going on. "It worked!" he exclaimed, still laughing his head off. "He actually bought it!" "I told you it would work," Kate said, "Come on in, I have some things I need to talk to you about." Kate led Harry through the house to the sliding glass door that led to the spacious backyard. As Kate reached for the handle to the door, a woman in a bright pink sundress came down the stairs. "Kate, I don't believe I've been introduced to your friend," the woman said. She had a slight Scottish accent. "Oh, I'm sorry, uh, Mom," she paused as she awkwardly tried to find the right name to call the woman, "This is Harry Potter." "Nice to meet you," Kate's adoptive mother said, "Please, call me Margaret." "Nice to meet you too," Harry replied. Margaret gave Harry a cheerful smile, then turned to Kate. "Dear, have you seen Jonathan?" "He said he was going out to his workshop," Kate replied. Margaret sighed. "I'll never be able to get him out of there, now. Not even for supper! Could you go out and tell him that there's a car show playing on television. That should get him back in here in a hurry. I need to speak with him." "Sure." Harry followed Kate to the garage on the side of the house. Her adoptive father was bent over a Candy Apple Red 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang. Jonathan Andrews was short, pudgy forty-two-year-old insurance salesman with an intense love for classic cars. "Dad?" Kate called. "Not now, Kate, I'm having a hard time with this radiator," he replied. "That car show you wanted to see is on in two minutes," Kate lied. "Oh, uh, can you tape that for me, I don't have time to watch it right now." "There is no car show, Mom just wants to talk to you," she told the truth. "All right," he sighed. Once her father left, Kate motioned toward the Mustang. "Hop in." Harry got in on the passenger's side and Kate on the driver's side. "I need to talk to you about these dreams I've been having" she said. "You've been having them too?" Harry asked, "Do you know what they mean?" "That's the part I wanted to talk to you about," she replied, "Sometimes, I dream things before they happen." "You- you mean like premonitions?" Harry asked, a frightened tone in his voice. "Yes. I dreamed that the Andrews were going to adopt me, and things like that, but never anything as horrible as this... Who was that man?" "His name is Lord Voldemort. He murdered my parents and anyone else that got in his way. That's why I have this scar on my forehead. I was the only person to ever survive the curse that killed my parents." "I'm sorry. Those dungeons, were they at the school?" Kate asked. "Yes, we have to be careful when we get there. My friends, Ron and Hermione, can help us keep a look out." "HARRY!!!" a voice boomed across the fence. "Uh, oh. I wonder what I did this time," Harry said, "Bye, I won't see you again until school." "Bye." Harry barely waited for a reply from Kate before he bolted out the side gate and towards the Dursley's house.  
  
Harry ran as fast as he could towards the Dursley's house. Uncle Vernon was already at the door and his face was as purple as an eggplant. "You liar!" he yelled. "What did I do?" Harry asked. "Don't play stupid boy," Uncle Vernon took at step towards Harry, "You know what I'm talking about! Mrs. Figg. She told me she heard you and a girl chatting about premonitions or some rubbish like that!" Harry heart felt like it dropped about a foot inside his chest. "I... uh I- " "She said she'd be seeing you at school. What is that supposed to mean?!"  
  
"What?" Harry thought for a moment, "She must be working at the school. I swear I had no idea." "Yeah, right," Uncle Vernon said sarcastically, "Like you didn't know your freak for a friend next door was a witch, either?!" He ranted on for several minutes before finally grounding Harry and letting him go to his room.  
  
It goes without saying that Harry was forbidden from going to either Kate's or Mrs. Figg's house for the rest of the summer. Nothing exciting enough to mention happened until Harry arrived at King's Cross Station to board the Hogwarts Express. Harry was walking towards Platform 9 3/4 when he noticed Ron talking to what he thought was Ron's sister, Ginny. Harry realized, though, that the girl was much too tall to be Ginny. The girl had flaming red hair, just like the Weasleys. Ron caught sight of Harry and waved. The girl turned to see whom Ron was waving to. Harry's eyes looked as thought they were about to pop out of his head when he realized who it was. It was Kate. Harry never knew until now just how much of a difference clothes and makeup could make. Kate's usually wacky clothes were considerably less outrageous. She was wearing a white t-shirt with a picture of the Beatles on it and a pair of plain jeans. The only necklace she was wearing was the one with the dragon on it. The usually flamboyant makeup she wore was gone, too. And, of course, her hair had changed from the red and black mess it usually was. The only things that were the same were her infamous red combat boots and her nose ring, both of which she was still wearing. "Hi Harry," Kate said. When she saw him gawking at her new appearance, she said, "Oh, yeah, I thought I might tone it down a little, just in case."  
  
"You look... good," he said awkwardly. "Thanks," she said and smiled, "I didn't know that this was the Ron you were talking about. I met him three years ago, when his mother was volunteering at the orphanage." "Really?" Harry raised his eyebrows, "Well, then I guess I don't have to introduce you." "It's time to get on the train," Ron said as he looked at his watch, "We better go." Harry, Ron, and Kate found an empty car and sat down. "Wait," Harry said, "Ron, don't you have to go to the prefect car?" "Nah, they don't really care if I show up or not," Ron explained, "I never really do my job, anyways." They chatted for a while, until Hermione found their car and joined them. "Hello, Harry, Ron," she said as she looked at Kate with a bit of contempt, "Who's your friend?" "Hermione, this Kate Andrews," Harry replied, "She moved in next door to me about two months ago." "Nice to meet you," Kate said cheerfully and extended her hand for Hermione to shake. "Nice to meet you, too," Hermione said as she shook Kate's hand limply, "I'm a bit hungry. I'm going to the dinning car. See you later." After Hermione left, Kate asked Harry and Ron, "She doesn't like me much, does she?"  
"Where did you get that idea?" Ron asked.  
"Oh, come on," she said, "You saw the way she looked at me. Like I was the bubonic plague or something."  
"Maybe she didn't like the way you were being so chummy with us," Ron suggested.  
"You mean she's jealous?" Kate said, "But it's not like she's your girlfriend or anything, right?  
"But maybe she wants to be," Ron muttered under his breath.  
"What?" Harry and Kate asked simultaneously.  
"Oh, nothing," he said.  
"Anyways, I don't think it's anything to worry about," Harry reassured Kate.  
"Ok," she thought for a while, then looked at Harry and said, "I think we should probably tell Ron about the premonitions."  
"What premonitions?" Ron asked, looking back and forth from Kate to Harry.  
They told him all about the prophecy and Ron listened, awed by what he was hearing. When they finished, he asked them what they should do about it.  
"We should probably tell Dumbledore," Harry suggested.  
"Of course," Kate said, "But I don't want to talk about all this creepy stuff anymore. Tell me, what's Hogwarts like?"  
"There are four houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin," Ron explained, "You'll probably be in Gryffindor."  
"Is that a good thing?" Kate asked.  
"Yes," Harry replied, "Pray you don't get Slytherin. All of the dark wizards and witches in the school are in that house."  
"Oh, well if I do get Slytherin, at least I won't be stuck with you two," Kate joked.  
They all had a laugh and Harry realized that Kate had had a profound effect on him. Before he had met her, he had nearly nothing to live for, but know he could joke and mess around with his friends like a normal person. He just smiled to himself and continued to talk about Hogwarts. Harry and Ron proceeded to tell Kate about the Potions teacher, Snape, and the countless other teachers there. Then Harry remembered what happened last time he saw Kate.  
"I forgot to tell you," he said, "Guess who is working at the school this year?"  
"Who?" Ron asked. "  
"Mrs. Figg," Harry replied.  
"You mean the smelly old woman with the cats that the Dursleys always stick you with?" Ron asked in surprise.  
"The one and only."  
"But I thought she was a squib," Ron said.  
"Well, then she obviously won't be teaching," Kate said.  
The discussion moved on to other topics concerning school and before they knew it, the train had arrived.  
Harry, Ron and Kate left the train. They said hello to Hagrid when he showed up to lead the first years to the boats. The three then moved on to the carriages that were to take them to the castle. As they had been the year before, the thestrals were ready and waiting for people to load into the carriages so they could head off for the school. "What in the world are those things?!" Kate cried as she approached the creatures. "You can see them too?" Harry asked. "Of course I can, but what are they?" Kate asked again. "They're thestrals," Harry explained, "You can only see them if you've seen death." "But I've never seen anyone die," Kate said. "Are you sure?" Ron asked. "I think I'd remember seeing someone die," Kate said sarcastically. They said no more on the subject and got into a nearby carriage. Soon they were back to talking excitedly about the school and the feast coming up in the near future. Once they reached the Great Hall, Kate separated from the other two, as she needed to be sorted with the first years. Harry and Ron were led inside and sat down at their table. The ceiling of reflected the clear black sky outside and the entire hall seemed to have a tranquil air about it. Soon after, Kate and the first years filed into the hall. One by one, Professor McGonagall called the frightened first years up to be sorted.  
"Ackley, Jay," Professor McGonagall said.  
A skinny little boy with black hair was sorted into Slytherin. "Allister, Kasondra," was sorted into Hufflepuff, while "Almond, Blake," joined the Ravenclaws. Professor McGonagall kept going, and after a short while, Kate's turn arrived.  
"Andrews, Moriggu," Prof. McGonagall said, using Kate's real name.  
Kate stepped up to the stool and slid the sorting hat onto her head. There was a short silence, and then the hat shouted out, "SLYTHERIN!" Kate sat there in shock for a moment. Then she slid off the stool, gave the hat back to Prof. McGonagall and walked to the Slytherin table, her eyes never leaving the floor. Harry and Ron looked at each other in surprise. Hermione, on the other hand, looked slightly pleased.  
"I knew there was something wrong with her," she commented.  
"What do you mean?" Harry said, "She's one of the nicest girls I know!"  
"Was one of the nicest girls you know," Hermione corrected.  
"I can't believe this," Ron said, "She seemed so- I don't know- cool."  
The sorting ceremony went on without any more excitement. Then Dumbledore rose and asked for their silence. "Welcome to another year here at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, followed by clapping and cheering, "As most of you know, Lord Voldemort," there was a collective shudder from the students and teachers, "has regained his strength. We must take precautions to make sure that no one is hurt. All trips to Hogsmead have been cancelled." With that statement came several groans from the students. Professor Dumbledore raised his hands to motion for silence. "But, we will be having a Yule Ball and a few surprise events to keep things going smoothly." The entire hall filled with clapping and cheering. "Also, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lemon, will be holding a mandatory dueling class every Tuesday and Thursday beginning in December." Harry thought back to last time the school had held dueling classes. The entire school had discovered that Harry was a Parselmouth, a person who can talk to snakes. He suddenly felt apprehensive about the upcoming classes. "Now, our caretaker, Argus Filch, has asked me to advise all of you to, please stay in your dormitories at all times possible when not in class. Thank you. Now, let the feast begin." When Dumbledore was finished, the banquet appeared on their plates. There were oo's and awe's from the first years, who had never seen anything like it before. But Harry had bigger things on his mind. He walked over to the Slytherin table to talk to Kate. She had chosen the worst place to sit: right next to Draco Malfoy, one of Harry's worst enemies. Draco was already trying to put the moves on her.  
Harry tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Kate, I need to talk to you."  
"Back off, Potter, she's with me right now," Draco glared at Harry.  
"Look, at the moment I don't feel like talking to either of you," Kate said and looked at Malfoy, "Get your hand off my knee, you creep."  
"Fine, have it your way," he said and turned around in a huff.  
"Kate, please," Harry said beseechingly.  
"Ok," she consented.  
They walked out into the hallway. Kate leaned against the wall and kept looking at her shoes.  
"Why did you choose to be in Slytherin?" Harry asked.  
"I didn't," she said, "You said that Slytherin was the last place I'd want to be and that I was probably going to be in Gryffindor. So, I didn't really think about it."  
"But Dumbledore told me that if you choose to be in a house, the sorting hat would place you there," Harry said.  
"You don't believe me, do you?" Kate asked.  
"No, I didn't say that," Harry replied.  
"But that's what you think," Kate said, furious.  
"No," Harry said, "I just think it's kind of- odd."  
"Look. If you don't trust me, then what's the point?" Kate said.  
"Kate, wait!" Harry pleaded as Kate stomped back into the Great Hall.  
  
Unfortunately for Harry, the Gryffindors and the Slytherins had three classes together: Herbology, Potions, and Divination. Their first class of the day was Herbology and Harry and Kate were paired up together. They were learning how to properly handle monkshood, when a garner snake slithered up next to a Slytherin named Millicent Bulstrode. Millicent screamed and jumped up onto her stool. Harry was about to take care of it, since he was a Parselmouth, when he heard Kate call to the snake to come to her. The little serpent obligingly slithered over and allowed Kate to pick it up. It took Harry a moment to realize that Kate had spoken to the snake in Parseltongue. He stood there, mouth agape, staring at her.  
"What?" Kate said, seeing the look on Harry's face, "Is something wrong?"  
Millicent had since stepped down from her chair and had joined Harry in staring at Kate.  
"What?" she repeated.  
"I- I think we need to talk," Harry stuttered, "Professor Sprout, Can we have a moment?"  
"Uh, yes, but come right back," the teacher replied.  
Harry and Kate walked out of the greenhouse and stood near the door. Kate put the snake on the ground and it slithered happily away.  
"You didn't tell me you're a Parselmouth," Harry said.  
"A what?" Kate asked.  
"A Parselmouth is someone who can talk to snakes," Harry replied.  
"And this is bad a bad thing, why?" Kate asked.  
"Voldemort is a Parselmouth, too," Harry said, "And since he's been revived, it's not a very good thing to have the same powers as him. People will think you're a Death Eater."  
"A what?" Kate asked again, "Harry, you're losing me."  
"How can you not know about all this?" Harry answered Kate's question with a question.  
"I don't know why I don't know," Kate replied.  
"Okay, now you've lost me," Harry said, "Wait, didn't Fudge tell all of this to you and you're parents when he met with them?"  
"I didn't talk to him, only my parents did," Kate answered, "It was almost like they were trying to hide something from me."  
"Forget all of that for now," Harry said, "We can talk later. I just want to say that I'm sorry about what happened at the Sorting Ceremony. I overreacted."  
"Me too," Kate said, "Truce?"  
"Truce," Harry said, "Now, let's get back to class."  
  
Harry told Ron about Kate's ability to talk to snakes, but decided to leave Hermione in the dark. It would only make her even more suspicious of Kate. Something was really bothering him about Hermione's behavior. She was acting very strangely, almost like she was jealous of Kate. But Harry couldn't think of anything for her to be jealous of. 'Unless she likes me,' Harry thought, but he brushed it away. They were too close as friends to be anything more. Still, it was nagging at the back of his mind.  
Near Halloween, school became very boring. They started spending more and more of their free time together. They even neglected their schoolwork a little except Hermione, of course. She blamed Kate for their lethargic attitude. She said Kate was a bad influence on them. They were at lunch when Hermione brought up the subject.  
"But we never did our work in the first place!" Ron defended Kate.  
"Still, you've become even lazier than before," Hermione protested.  
"Alright, guys, settle down," Kate said, "Let's make a compromise. We'll study a little bit more if you'll join us for a little surprise."  
"Surprise?" Harry said, "Why didn't you tell us about it?"  
"Because it's a surprise, stupid," Kate said, "Meet me in the trophy room at eleven o'clock tonight."  
"I don't know about this," Hermione said.  
"Please," Kate implored, "It's a small price to pay if you're really worried about their work."  
"Fine," Hermione consented, "But if we get in trouble, it's all you're fault." Eleven hours later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were packed under Harry's invisibility cloak. They reached the trophy room without incident. Kate had not yet arrived. They stood there for a moment, waiting. Harry was looking around, when he noticed a large golden cup sitting on the shelf directly in front of him. It read:  
  
Quidditch Cup  
  
Slytherin House  
  
Captain: Moriggu Lestrange  
  
Harry stared at it for a moment. 'Is it possible?' he thought, 'It can't be. But it has to be. How many Moriggus can there be in the world?' Another thing that bothered him was the last name. It was the name of his godfather's killer.  
A voice behind him made him jump. "Good, we're all here," Kate said. He pondered whether to mention it to Kate. He decided against it. Instead, he asked her about her name.  
"Why do you want to be called Kate instead of Moriggu?" he asked.  
"I only know one thing about my mother," she replied, "Her name was Kate. I wanted to honor her by using her name. Let's talk on the way."  
They all crammed under the invisibility cloak and started walking down the hallway. "Did I ever tell you where my real name came from?" Kate whispered.  
"No," Ron said.  
"Well, Moriggu was a Celtic goddess of war, fate, foretelling, and death, among other things. She was a shape-shifter," Kate explained.  
"How morbid," Hermione remarked.  
"Yeah."  
"Where are you going with all of this?" Hermione asked impatiently.  
"I'm getting there," Kate replied, "I've noticed that I have certain attributes that she had."  
"Like what?" Harry asked.  
"I can shape-shift into a crow," Kate answered.  
"So what, you're an Animagus," Ron said.  
"But you have to go through a whole process to be able to do that," Hermione reminded him.  
"Yes, and Moriggu's favorite animal was a crow," Kate added, "I've been having more premonitions, too."  
"What kind of premonitions?" Harry asked.  
"That's why we're here," she replied, "I had a dream about you're parents, Harry. They asked me to perform a séance so they can talk to you."  
"What?" Harry asked in disbelief, "My parents came to you?"  
"Yes-," Kate cut herself off, "Shh, someone's coming."  
They stood still and waited for the person to pass them. The caretaker's, cat Mrs. Norris, rounded the corner and Filch followed right behind. Mrs. Norris meowed loudly and walked over to where the four students stood, hiding under the invisibility cloak.  
"Is anyone there, my sweet?" Filch crooned to his pet, "Come out, come out, wherever you are."  
Harry, Ron, Kate and Hermione all held their breaths as Mrs. Norris inched closer to them. Suddenly, there was a loud banging coming from the adjacent hallway.  
"Peeves! You just wait until I get a hold of you!" Filch yelled and ran to catch him, his cat following behind him.  
"Saved by the poltergeist," Kate whispered once Filch was out of sight, "It's too hard for us to move if were all under here. I'll transform and fly overhead. Just follow me."  
Kate did as she had explained and flew about ten feet above the others. Hermione used this as an opportunity to express her distaste with the situation.  
"So now she thinks she a goddess?" she said.  
"Don't you think it's a bit strange, though," Harry asked.  
"I'm English, so does that make me the Queen of England?" Hermione retorted.  
"It's not the same," Ron said, "I don't think just because she named after a goddess that she is one, but maybe there's more to it."  
"Let's just forget about that for now," Harry said, "We're here."  
They stood in front of a large painting of a dragon flying over Hogwarts. Kate swooped down next to them and returned to her normal state. She leaned closer to the painting and hissed something in Parseltoungue to the dragon, which roared back in reply. As the painting swung forward, Kate explained that dragons are related to snakes, so they can understand Parseltongue. They walked through the opening behind the painting and it shut behind them.  
"Lumos," Hermione whispered.  
Her wand lit up the dark stairwell and the group proceeded downward. A few feet below them was a door. They opened the door and entered into a huge, empty room. The only thing inside was a circle of candles on the floor.  
"I don't think anyone will find us here," Kate said.  
The four students sat on the floor in a circle around the candles. Harry sat between Kate and Hermione and Ron across from Harry. Kate lit the candles one by one, asking each element to help in the ritual. Then, they all held hands and closed their eyes.  
"Now, picture a bright white light surrounding us and making a circle," Kate directed.  
They did as they were told and cast the circle.  
"Repeat after me. Through the veil of time space, is a love that can't be erased, part the veil let pass through, spirits old and spirits new," Kate said. The other three followed Kate's lead and repeated the rhyme a few times. "The circle is cast," Kate said, "Now, Ron, Hermione, drop your hands and make a doorway for the spirits."  
Ron and Hermione let go of each other and created a space between them.  
"I call all those who wish to speak, to enter our circle," Kate declared.  
A rush of cold air swept into the chamber.  
"Show yourselves," Kate commanded.  
A figure appeared in the center of the circle. And it wasn't either of Harry's parents.  
"Moriggu?" the entity said softly.  
The lady had long dark hair and a stern, almost cruel face. Harry recognized her from somewhere, but it was too dark to be sure.  
"Mom?" Kate said, stunned, "What are you doing here?"  
"I need your help," she said, "I'm not a ghost. I'm trapped, but I can't tell you where."  
"How can I help?" Kate asked.  
"Find your father," her mother said, "He holds the key."  
"Who is my father?" Kate asked.  
"I can't tell you, that is for you to discover," she said and slowly began fading away.  
"No!" Kate cried, "Wait! I don't understand!"  
Kate broke down and started crying. The others were attempting to comfort her, when two new figures appeared in the circle.  
"Harry," a voice called gently.  
Harry turned and looked. This time it was his parents. They looked exactly as they had when he had last seen them in the Mirror of Erised.  
"Mom, Dad?" Harry asked, "Is it really you?" "Yes," Lily said as she lovingly looked at her son. "Why did you ask Kate to hold this séance?" Harry asked.  
"You are in danger and we need to tell you something," Lily said, "Voldemort is nearby. You have to be very careful."  
"I know, my scar has been burning," Harry said, thinking of the lightning-shaped mark on his forehead.  
"He's closer than you think," James said, "He's inside the school."  
"He's- here?" Harry said in disbelief.  
"Yes, and you must promise me that you will be careful," Lily said.  
"I promise," Harry said, "But where is he in the castle?"  
"We don't know, but we've heard talk of him inside the school," James said, "We think that he may be planning something."  
"Thank you," Harry said.  
"Goodbye," Lily said, "We'll see you again soon."  
Harry's heart sank as his parents slowly faded away.  
"Alright, now Hermione and Ron, you hold hands again," Kate said, regaining her composure, "Picture the energy that we originally conjured up returning back into the earth."  
They did what they were told, then let go of one another.  
"The circle is open, but unbroken," Kate said, "The ritual is over."  
They gathered up the candles and left. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were under the Invisibility Cloak again, while Kate flew above them.  
"That was freaky," Hermione whispered as they walked back to their dormitories.  
"Yeah, I wonder where Voldemort is right now," said Harry.  
"I don't want to think about that," said Ron, "I was thinking about what Kate's mom said. How can she come to our séance if she isn't dead?"  
"I think something is a bit dodgy about all this," Hermione said.  
"You still think she's up to something?" Harry asked.  
"Well, you have to admit, it does seem a little odd," said Hermione.  
"Why can't you just accept that she isn't plotting against us?" said Ron.  
"Look, all I'm saying is that I think that something weird is going on," said Hermione.  
"Whatever," Ron said.  
When they reached the trophy room again, Kate swooped down and bid them goodbye. They went their separate ways and after awhile, Harry, Ron, and Hermione reached the Gryffindor common room.  
"Tomato sauce," Harry whispered the password to the portrait of the Fat Lady.  
"Who's there?" she asked.  
The painting swung forward anyways and let the group pass through. After Harry had gotten into bed, he lay there for a long time, just thinking. There were so many things going on that he couldn't really think of one thing at a time. It drove him nuts, but he always came back to the thought that Voldemort was in the school at that very moment. He finally did fall asleep, but not for very long. He had the premonition again and he woke up in a cold sweat. Harry knew that something had to be done, and soon. 


End file.
